2 PNNL scientists receive Early Career Research Awards

RICHLAND, Wash. –
Two scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will receive Early Career Research Awards from DOE to advance research involving underground contamination and computer modeling. Each researcher will receive grants totaling $2.5 million over five years.

The two PNNL awardees are:

Matthew Marshall, who will use the grant to study microbial biofilms, which are large communities of bacteria growing on other surfaces. Learning more about the chemical composition of microbial biofilms could also improve understanding of how contaminants are transported underground.

Alexandre Tartakovsky, who will use the grant to develop new, simplified models to simulate complex molecular processes on powerful supercomputers. The goal is to improve computer modeling, which is widely used in scientific research, so that larger problems can be simulated faster and more accurately.

They are among 65 researchers who were selected this year from a pool of about 1,150 applicants.

The Early Career Research Program is designed to bolster the nation's scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early years, when many scientists do their most formative work. The program is funded by DOE's Office of Science.

To be eligible for an award, a researcher must have received a doctorate within the past 10 years and be an untenured, tenure-track assistant or associate professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory.

Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,300 staff and has an annual budget of more than $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. As the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.